Summary of changes taking effect from 19 April 2027
Amendments to Victoria’s Voluntary Assisted Dying Act 2017 passed parliament in November 2025 and will take effect from 19 April 2027.
Existing VAD settings remain in place until that time.
Initiating discussions about VAD
AHPRA registered medical practitioners, nurse practitioners, nurses, psychologists and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health practitioners will be allowed to raise voluntary assisted dying with their patients during discussion about end-of-life care options.
Practitioner conscientious objection to VAD
Registered medical practitioners and nurse practitioners with a conscientious objection to voluntary assisted dying can decline to discuss voluntary assisted dying with patients or to participate in voluntary assisted dying, but if a patient asks about voluntary assisted dying the practitioner must at a minimum:
- advise the person that another registered medical practitioner or nurse practitioner may be able to assist the person in relation to information about or access to voluntary assisted dying
- give the person the contact details for the Statewide Care Navigator Service and the Department of Health website which provides information about voluntary assisted dying.
Eligibility criteria
While most current eligibility criteria will remain unchanged, from 19 April 2027:
- A person who can show 3+ years’ Australian residency will be able to access voluntary assisted dying (not only Australian citizens or permanent residents).
- A person will be able to apply to the Secretary of the Department of Health for an exemption to the Victorian residency criteria in certain circumstances.
- The prognosis timeframe will be lengthened to 12 months for all applicants (instead of 6 months).
Third prognosis assessment for people with a neurodegenerative condition
People with neurodegenerative conditions with a prognosis of between 6 and 12 months will no longer be required to have a third prognosis assessment.
Timeframe between first and final request
The minimum timeframe between a person’s first and final request to access voluntary assisted dying will be shortened to 5 days (from 9 days).
Medical practitioner eligibility to provide VAD
Medical practitioners who have specialist registration or vocational registration as a GP will be able to provide voluntary assisted dying as a co-ordinating or consulting medical practitioner.
At least one of the medical practitioners assessing a person’s eligibility to access voluntary assisted dying must have practised for at least 1 year following specialist or vocational registration (instead of 5 years).
Health practitioner eligibility to provide VAD
A health practitioner who provides voluntary assisted dying will be prohibited from being a family member or beneficiary of the person who is accessing voluntary assisted dying.
Who can administer a VAD substance
A new administering practitioner role has been created and that can be performed by*:
- the person’s co-ordinating or consulting medical practitioner
- another specialist medical practitioner
- a vocationally registered GP
- a nurse practitioner
- a registered nurse who has been registered for at least 5 years.
*All practitioners must complete voluntary assisted dying specific training before undertaking the administering practitioner role.
Administration method choice
A person will be able to decide, in consultation with their co-ordinating medical practitioner, whether they will self-administer the voluntary assisted dying substance or have an administering practitioner administer the voluntary assisted dying substance.
A person can change their mind about how the substance will be administered at any time in consultation with their co-ordinating medical practitioner.
Permit and substance prescribing
The voluntary assisted dying permit is administration method neutral, which means administration method and contact person changes can occur without the need for a new permit.
Interpreter exemption
A person can apply to the Secretary of the Department of Health for an exemption to the requirement that an interpreter be accredited, in exceptional circumstances.
Updated